Executive ranks swell at universities

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The number of highly paid university executives is increasing in Victoria, latest figures show.

A Sunday Age analysis of universities' 2003 annual reports shows there was a 21 per cent increase in executives earning more than $100,000 each compared with the previous year.

Overall, 578 executives paid more than $100,000 were employed in seven Victorian universities in 2003, compared with 479 in 2002.

The annual reports, recently tabled in State Parliament, classify employees as executives if they earn over $100,000.

Executives, according to the reports, include vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors, deans, department heads and senior administrators. The figures do not include professors of disciplines, some of whom earn more than $100,000.

Monash University, Australia's largest university, paid 253 executives more than $100,000 each last year, compared to 204 in 2002, an increase of 24 per cent.

Swinburne University employed 105 executives on more than $100,000 in 2003, and 83 in the previous year, while The University of Melbourne had 59 executives in 2003, compared to 44 in 2002.

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La Trobe University had a small decrease in the number of executives paid more than $100,000 last year.

At Monash, 38 top executives received pay packages in excess of $200,000, compared with 25 in 2002.

Monash employees earning more than $250,000 have more than tripled since 2001. Five earned $250,000 in 2001, 12 in 2002 and 18 last year.

Melbourne university employed 20 executives earning more than $200,000, compared with 14 in 2002. RMIT University had nine last year, and two in 2002.

Victoria, Deakin and La Trobe universities had small increases in the number of top executives.

Although universities do not publicise vice-chancellors' salaries, they can be gleaned from the annual reports. The reports suggest vice-chancellors' pay packages range from $310,000 to $689,999.

National Union of Students president Jodie Jansen said students were concerned that money spent on employing more executives was being diverted from teaching and research.